


Always A Villain

by LinetteSQMills



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 09:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14102064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinetteSQMills/pseuds/LinetteSQMills
Summary: Regina Mills disguises herself as a handsome deputy named Graham in order to get information out of Sheriff Emma Swan, someone who doesn’t trust her and suspects that she has violent tendencies. What she doesn’t expect, however, is Emma finding her disguise attractive. She kisses Regina not knowing it’s her, and Regina is terrified of the way this makes her feel. She changes back into herself and tells Emma that Graham was transferred and won’t be coming back. The only problem? Regina Mills can’t seem to get enough of Emma Swan.





	1. The Masks We Wear

Regina paced back and forth in front of her floor length mirror. The mayor usually had ways of intimidating her citizens for information, but since Emma Swan got to town, there seemed to be no shortage of annoying heroes present to stop her from getting too aggressive. “What I don’t understand is why you seem to think you have the right to tell me how to govern my town.” She recalled her conversation with the sheriff the day before. Emma had simply rolled her eyes and responded “Because I’m in charge of making sure people are safe around here. And you tend to be more concerned with your own agenda.” She had stormed out of Regina’s office, leaving her angry enough to burn a hole in the door with her glare. 

Regina disappeared in a cloud of thick purple smoke, only to reappear as a rather handsome man. She knew the only way she was getting into that police station and leaving with what she needed was to be anyone but herself. Once she got to the front door of the huge brick building, she nearly forgot she was unrecognizable. Her reflection in the glass double doors reminded her, and she strode in confidently. 

“Are you Emma Swan? The sheriff?”   
Regina casually placed her hand on a desk and looked around. Emma, suddenly not looking as bored as she did before, walked over to her and smiled. “Yeah, I’m the sheriff. And you are?” Regina froze, suddenly aware that she did not think this alias through. In a split second decision, she replied. “Graham. I’m a deputy from one town over, but I’ve been transferred here. I need the case file from the incident in the mayor’s vault last week. I’m not sure why your department hasn’t found out who broke in, but it’s about time someone did.” Emma cocked an eyebrow at him and put her hand out. “Obviously I’m gonna need more than your word to know who you are. Did Regina hire you?” Emma couldn’t help but notice how the man’s jaw clenched. It looked familiar. It was sexy. 

Regina realized what was being asked of her, and grabbed paperwork and a badge out of her jacket pocket. “Yes. We’ve only met once, but she made it clear that she needed help here.” Emma, without breaking eye contact, took the papers from his hand and laughed under her breath. “You mean, that I need help here.” She reviewed the transfer papers and nodded. “Here. This is what we have on that case. I already know who did it, but if I tell Regina she’ll kill them.” She took a beat before adding “and before you ask, you wish I was exaggerating.” 

Regina tried not to look shocked. After all, this was true about her for a long time. She just hadn’t realized that Emma thought it was true. “I’m sure she’s not that bad. She seems like she just knows what she wants and doesn’t take no for an answer. Is that so bad?” Emma rolled her eyes. “It is when not taking no for an answer comes at the expense of other people. Anyway. The person who tried to break in was David Nolan. I’ve already talked to him and we agreed on community service and not telling Regina.” Emma noticed Graham’s expressive brown eyes. She couldn’t help but feel an attraction. Something about this man was different, and she wanted to know what it was.

Regina was fuming. Of course David was behind it. God knows what he wanted, what he almost got. She shuddered at the thought. “Well. I’m at least going to go recommend better locks for the mayor’s vault. We can’t leave her completely in the dark.” As she began to walk away with a smirk, quite proud of getting away with it, Emma called after her. 

“Graham?” She turned to see that Emma was walking towards her. She backed up as much as possible until she was nearly against the wall. “The mayor isn’t the only one who goes after what she wants.” Emma gently pressed her lips to Regina’s. “I’ll see you around.” It took a moment for Regina to muster up a smile, much less the strength to walk out of there. Once she made it around the corner, she removed the glamour and walked to her car as Regina. 

Regina rolled over in bed, looking at the clock which read 4:17am. She couldn’t even remember the last time she was up this late. She racked her brain over her encounter with Emma. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the most important information she ended up getting had nothing to do with the vault break in. Emma’s lips were so soft, and the way she looked directly into her eyes could’ve made her melt. That’s what it felt like to kiss Emma Swan. But Emma had no idea she’d kissed the woman she badmouthed at every opportunity. As far as she knew, she’d kissed the handsome and noble Deputy Graham. Someone who didn’t exist, much like Regina wished she didn’t. 

She must’ve found a way to sleep, because the next time she glanced at the clock it was 10:56am. The rest didn’t matter. Regina woke up thinking about the same thing; Emma Swan. She stared at herself in the mirror and a tear rolled down her cheek. She glamoured herself into Graham once more. “This is what she wants. Not you. Not the evil queen. Not the woman who has short fuses and holds long grudges. Shiny and new. Not broken.” She closed her eyes and opened them again to stare at her own reflection once more. “And that person isn’t me.” 

Regina made a decision. She couldn’t do this to Emma. She couldn’t make her fall for her any further. If she knew that the personality she so desired belonged in the body of the mayor, she’d never take a second look. Regina knew that. If it weren’t true, she’d have kissed her a long time ago. No one would ever look past the Evil Queen long enough to fall in love. She wiped her eyes and drove to the police station. 

Emma heard a car beep and looked out the window. Ready to defend whatever it was about her that Regina was here to critique, she got to the door and opened it. “Good morning, Regina. What did I do to deserve a morning visit?” Regina walked in and mustered the courage to face Emma. “Oh, no you didn’t do anything Emma. I’m just here to tell you that the deputy has been moved back to his original department. I’m sorry for the confusion, but he had to leave.” 

Emma looked at her, puzzled. “But he just got here. He seemed to really know what he was doing. Nothing ever happens around here and he was interesting.” Regina smiled and nodded. “I quite liked him as well. He had a way of making you see him for who he is. I admire that. He told me to tell you he’s sorry he couldn’t stay.” 

Emma noticed that Regina was unsettled. Something was on her mind and she was, for lack of a better term, unfocused. Something not very typical in the mayor. She looked into Regina’s eyes trying to figure out what was wrong, and for a moment, a flicker of something very familiar washed over her. She snapped out of it and was able to respond. “Well, I wish he could’ve stayed.” 

Regina nodded. “So do I.”


	2. Can’t Quit You

It had been several days since Regina sent “Graham” away, and Emma seemed less focused than usual. Regina would’ve been angry at the sick game life was playing with her if she weren’t used to getting the short end of the stick. The sheriff really was taken by this... stranger... who was often right in front of her. 

It had been killing her every moment, thinking of that kiss she would never feel again from the woman she never imagined she’d even want it from. She felt made a fool of, only this time she couldn’t blame anyone else. 

She decided that she had to be him one more time, at least. She refused to never feel the way she felt that day again. Emma seemed to give her the only warm moment in her entire cold life and she couldn’t give that up, even if it hurt them both. 

She glamoured herself into Graham once more, taking a deep breath when she looked in the mirror and saw someone lovable, someone who hadn’t committed atrocities and who didn’t have the horrible past that came with being Regina. Before she could push the thought out of her mind, it dawned on her momentarily that perhaps Emma wasn’t the only good thing that came from this disguise. 

She headed to Emma’s apartment that she shared with that wretched Mary Margaret, who Regina knew would be working on Emma’s day off. She knocked on the door with the confidence one could have when they weren’t someone Emma Swan hated. When the blonde answered, Regina was dumbstruck for a moment, and nothing came out. Luckily, Emma filled the silence. 

“Graham...?” She tilted her head. “Regina told me that you were transferred.” She tried not to get too excited, but she hadn’t stopped thinking about him and here he was, this strange man with brown eyes and a jaw that did something familiar yet mysterious. “Come in?” 

Regina nodded. “I was, I am. I don’t work here anymore, but... I wanted to see you again. It’s not very fair that you got to have the last word, is it?” She grinned devilishly and raised an eyebrow.   
Emma giggled and bit her lip. “Okay, deputy. Have your word then.” She moved aside to let him in, and was hyper aware that she’d never felt this excited before by anything except stealing the bug when she was younger. 

Regina walked in and looked around as if she’d never been in Snow’s apartment before, taking everything in. “Do you often go around kissing any handsome stranger that falls in your lap?” He grinned again, the kind that Emma couldn’t place but knew she only wanted to see more of.   
“Handsome? At least you’re confident.” She teased. “No, actually.” Her tone got a bit less jokey. “I have no idea why I kissed you. Something about you made you feel... not like a stranger. That sounds so stupid, but it’s true.” She didn’t want him to flatter himself further, so she didn’t mention the magnetic field that surrounded them when he was in the same room. That day, right now. 

“It doesn’t sound stupid.” Regina shook her head. This felt wrong, but she couldn’t help that it felt even more right. “I felt drawn to you too. I mean, I came all the way back here. It’s not an easy town to find.” Regina had nothing if not her inside jokes with herself about magic. “What do you think about the mayor? I mean, as a person?” She’d be stupid not to ask that. 

Emma looked confused and shook her head. “you came to talk about Regina? Not that I blame you, she’s very attractive and you don’t know her.” A pained look flashed across Graham’s eyes and Emma didn’t know why. She squinted at him for a moment and spurted out an answer. “I don’t know. Like I said, very attractive. In charge. Headstrong.” She shrugged. “It would be great if she weren’t so... frustrating. And violent, and rude. I don’t get her.” 

Regina walked up to her and took a deep breath. “Maybe there’s more to her than meets the eye, Emma. Not everyone is an open book.” Emma laughed at that. “I don’t think Regina has a book. She’s one page, one line, and it says ‘fuck off’”. There was that hurt expression again. “Graham... why are you here?” 

She closed the remaining distance between them, wrapping her arms around Emma’s waist and pulling her in. “I’m here for you.” She pressed her lips to Emma’s, feeling more of that softness, that warmth that the blonde gave off. Her tongue moved to lick Emma’s lower lip as her hand ran up her back to the base of her neck, holding her in place. “Is that a good enough reason, Sheriff?”   
Emma nodded, the millimeter between their lips far too much space, and leaned in again to kiss him, this time letting a small moan escape her lips as they crashed into his, her arm on his shoulder and free hand in his hair. 

This was a feeling unlike any Regina had ever experienced, and she knew in that moment that she could never let this go. It was the cruelest game of all; she was doomed to have exactly what she wanted... as someone else.


End file.
